New Clothing Can Harm You!

Toxic Chemicals in clothes


Picture: Woman shopping for new dress.

Clothing and its selection, use and care are an important part of The Alkaline Lifestyle.

Clothing is part of almost everyone’s daily lives.

Clothing acts as additional protection to our body’s skin in various ways such as protection from cold and hot weather.

Clothing is also a way of expressing our culture, thoughts, and self image.

It is also a great source of pleasure for most people to purchase new clothing. Shopping for New Clothing is even a therapy for some and an eventual necessity for all.

New Clothing can also hurt you.

Key Point: Did you know that Formaldehyde has been used to impart wrinkle resistance to clothing fabrics since 1926?

The Formaldehyde is in the form called Formaldehyde textile resin (FTR). Formaldehyde and its various forms are also used as sizing in the production of thread and yarn used for the production of clothing. Sizing is also applied to finished fabric to add body and shape to clothing.

At 20 parts per million, Formaldehyde can induce rashes, headaches, dizziness, joint pain, fatigue, asthma and in the extreme case - cancer.

Formaldehyde at 20 parts per million is considered high, so consider these test results from clothing imported from communist China into the country of New Zealand:

• Women's corduroys: 290 parts per million.
• A Spiderman T-shirt: 1,400 parts per million.
• Pajamas: 3,400 parts per million .
• Kids pants: 16,000 parts per million.
• White stain resistant pants: 18,000 parts per million.

This article is not just about clothing from communist China, but about

ALL New Clothing, no matter what its source!

It is also not just about Formaldehyde, but all the chemicals used in the production of fabric.

Key Point: Wash all NEW CLOTHING before you wear it!!!

For most people this may seem as common sense, yet I recently found that to assume everyone knows this is a mistaken belief. I was discussing clothing with a woman who was suffering from dermatitis and I asked her if she washed her new clothes before she wore them. She assured me that she did not and would always wear her new clothing before washing them. She "liked" the feel of new clothes.She bought new clothes regularly as part of her lifestyle and social position, so as a result she was continually exposing her skin to not only Formaldehyde textile resin, but all the other chemicals applied in the production of new fabrics.

Key Point: Wash all fabrics that come in contact with your skin before using such as:

• Underwear
• Towels and Wash Clothes
• Bed sheets
• Pillow Cases
• Curtains: think of the sunlight striking the treated fabric and releasing the chemicals into the air as a toxic vapor
• Area Rugs: Baby crawling on the floor?
• Shower curtains: both Clothe and Plastic
• Table Clothes
• Clothe Napkins
• Diapers
• Baby clothes

Wash the fabric in the hottest water possible and use a long wash and rinse cycle. I personally wash all my new clothing at least three times before wearing them This is not excessive, when you consider my recent experience. I purchased a new 100% Nylon swim trunk with a 100% Polyester lining that was made in Communist China. I washed it alone with Detergent in a large load of Hot Water with a Hot water rinse. Before the rinse cycle I happened to see the color of the water had turned to a dark brown liquor color. After the rinse the Navy Blue fabric was a different hue of blue. Understanding that Nylon fabrics are not dyed, the color is in the Nylon plastic itself, so where did the dark brown liquor come from?

From the Formaldehyde textile resin.

In the true spirit of science, since I had bought two pairs of the swim trunks, I wore the second pair without washing them first. After exercising in them for less than 15 minutes my skin that was in contact with the fabric, was severely inflamed.

I removed the trunks and washed them and got the same dark brown liquor that did not disappear until the 3^rd washing.

Suggestion: After a shopping trip of trying on new clothes,bath as soon as possible upon arriving home. Even with short times of contact, the skin can absorb dangerous quantities of harmful chemicals.

Note: The principle of washing all fabrics before use applies even to Organic Cotton and Wools.

Considering that most clothing are produced in “sweat shops”, No pun intended, with most production coming from countries with tropical climates, do you really want some one else’s sweat, parasites and germs to come in contact with your skin?

The answer to most of the stated concerns with new clothing are solved just by the simple act of washing all new clothing and fabrics with detergents in the hottest water the fabric can stand.

You might say: You want to be Dressed to Kill, not killed by your dress.